The Nairobi County Government has given the proprietors of premises and business people in Eastleigh one week to clean and clear up drains around their premises or risk being taken to court.
In a statement released on Monday, Chief Environment Officer Geoffrey Mosiria explained that landlords and business owners whose facilities are within 10 metres of drainage channels have a responsibility to drain the systems of any trash. This will incur fines under the Nairobi City County Solid Waste Management Act, 2015.
Mosiria, whose staff carried out a compliance inspection at Eastleigh earlier today, said the directive is part of the county’s renewed efforts towards putting an end to pollution and injecting sanity into the populous commercial area.
“Eastleigh impunity has to come to an end,” he warned. “To all shop owners, landlords, and building owners with premises abutting drainage systems, it is your responsibility to keep them clean.”
The officer lamented that most of the traders have turned drainage channels into dumpsites something he said has resulted in clogging and flooding in the long run during rains.
In spite of the frequent clean-up drives that are being carried out by the county, Mosiria blamed some residents for repaying the efforts by dumping garbage in the drains soon after they have been cleared.
“Drainage systems are not dumping places,” he stated. “We will not hesitate to take enforcement action against non-compliance after sensitization.”
Inspectors would be dispatched after the week-long grace period ends, the county stated, to enforce compliance. Offenders could face having their premises shut down, their trading licences cancelled, or prosecution in court.
Under Nairobi’s environmental by-laws, those convicted risk fines of up to Ksh200,000 or a six-month jail term. Minor offences such as small-scale dumping attract lower fines starting at Ksh10,000.
A spot visit by Kenyans.co.ke showed that much of Eastleigh’s drainage is lined up with solid waste, is unhealthy, and exacerbating the neighborhood sanitation crisis a problem that the county says it is about to put an end to “once and for all.”.
